Wednesday, August 15, 2001
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Wednesday, August 15, 2001 |
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Proposed illegal alien amnesty not good idea, Collins tells president Citing concern about a possible negative impact on jobs and salaries, Rep. Mac Collins urged President George W. Bush to reconsider proposals being floated to provide an amnesty or guest worker program to millions of illegal immigrants from Mexico. Collins, who represents Fayette and several other west Georgia counties, contacted Bush, citing recent studies that, according to Collins, show the influx of untrained illegal immigrants has depressed wages for the working poor. "The Center for Immigration Studies recently released a report entitled Immigration from Mexico: Assessing the Impact on the United States, which highlights many of the concerns I have about such a guest-worker program, particularly for illegal aliens," Collins said. "I ask that you review these findings and that you seriously consider the effects that such a program could have on the American work force and on the responsible expenditure of American taxpayer dollars." The CIS study found over 10 million Americans in the work force lack a high school diploma. Collins said the study showed the influx in the 1990s of unskilled illegal Mexican immigrants decreased the wages of Americans with a high school education by an estimated 5 percent. Collins said the study showed the benefits to consumers of the low price labor was minimal because unskilled labor accounts for such a small fraction of the work force. The study estimated illegal immigrant labor reduced prices by only an estimated .08 to .2 percent in the 1990s, Collins said, adding that the working poor have the most to fear from the amnesty or guest worker plan being proposed in Washington. "I do not believe that law-abiding American workers and their families should have to fear that their means to live will be lost to illegal immigrants who may soon be reclassified as guest workers," he said. Collins cautioned against immigrant-bashing, saying that Mexican-Americans are valued citizens. Nonetheless, he said it makes no sense to reward those who have broken America's immigration laws. Collins said the proposed amnesty could put higher burdens on government services. An estimated 25 percent of the families headed by illegal Mexican immigrants have used at least one major welfare program, he said. In addition, over half of all Mexican illegal immigrants do not have health insurance, compared with 13.5 percent of the rest of the population. "Given these statistics, it is no surprise that these persons are all the more likely to utilize services funded by American taxpayers," Collins said. "While I appreciate the plight of our neighbors to the south, I also firmly believe that those Americans who have fought our wars, worked in our factories, followed our laws and funded this government with their hard-earned dollars should have assurance that their inalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness will be protected," Collins wrote. "When we offer work and, worse, entitlements to those who have never fought our wars, never worked in our factories, not respected our laws and never paid taxes, we do a disservice to these American ideals and those who have defended them."
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